About “Civil Rights Through the Eyes of a Young Poet” spoken word poetry camp

When: 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, July 10-14, 2017
Where: Central Library Teen Zone 2nd floor, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203
Details: Participants will write original poems about the civil rights movement which will be recorded via video or audio for BPL's Archives Department. Teens should bring lunch daily except Friday, when pizza will be served. There are still a few slots available. For more information, call Lance Simpson at 205-226-3655 or email lmsimpson@bham.lib.al.us. Teens should bring lunch through Thursday; pizza will be provided at closing day Friday, July 14.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-The Birmingham Public Library’s Archives Department, located in the basement of the Linn-Henley Research Building, receives visitors from across the globe researching Birmingham’s civil rights past and other historical events.

On Wednesday, July 12, 2017, a dozen students participating in Through the Eyes of a Young Poet, a spoken word poetry camp taking place this week at the Central Library downtown, got to see first-hand photos and artifacts depicting incidents such as when Birmingham Safety Commissioner Bull Connor unleashed fire hoses and police dogs on children marching for civil rights in Birmingham in 1963.

They listened intently as Jim Baggett, head of BPL’s Archives Department, shared stories of the racist attacks blacks endured during the civil rights movement. Earlier this week, Baggett showed them photos of damage from bombs the Ku Klux Klan placed outside the home of Birmingham civil rights legend the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth's home and church, Bethel Baptist in Collegeville.

BPL is partnering with John Paul Taylor of Real Life Poets to offer this free weeklong spoken word poetry camp for Birmingham area teens in grades 9-12 that kicked off Monday, July 10, in the Central Library downtown. The teens will write original poems about the civil rights movement which will be recorded via video or audio for BPL's Archives Department. Check out Real Life Poets at www.reallifepoets.org.

There are still a few slots available. For more information, call Lance Simpson at
205-226-3655 or email lmsimpson@bham.lib.al.us. Teens should bring lunch through Thursday; pizza will be provided at closing Friday.

About the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)
For additional information about the programs and services of the Birmingham Public Library, visit our website at www.bplonline.org and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BPL. The mission of Birmingham Public Library is to provide the highest quality library service to our citizens for life-long learning, cultural enrichment, and enjoyment. This system—with 19 locations and serving the community for 130 years—is one of the largest library systems in the southeast.